Thread cutter for weft-replenishing looms



Get. 30, 1928. Y 1,689,704

w. H. WAKEFIELD THREAD CUTTER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LQOIIS Filed D60.2'7, 1926 Z 4.; INVENTOFE J7 a) WALTER H WAKEFIELD L XTTOHNZYS PatentedOct. 30, 1928.

* UNIT-ED STATES i 1,689,704 PATENTOFFICE.

WALTER H. WAKEFIELD, OF WORCESTER, MAssAoHusETTs, ASSIGNOR To CROMPTON'& RNoWnEs LOOM WORKS, E WORCEsTER, MAS ACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS.

THREAD CUTTER FOR WEFT-REPLEN ISHING LO0MS..

Application filed December 27, 1926. Serial No.'157,091.

is both open and closed positively without the use of springs andwithout contact'with the lay toopen the cutter.

Most weft replenishing mechanisms are provided .with a shuttle feelerthe purpose of which is to arrest transfer when a shuttle is so widelymisplaced asnot to be able to receive the incoming bobbin properly, Ithas been proposed heretofore to mount the thread cutter on theshuttlefeelers'but in many in stances wherethis is done it is found thatthe cutter is opened before. the shuttle arrives in position to beactuated by the feeler andif the feeler shouldv be raised by a misplacedshuttle the cutter operates, even though a transfer does not take place.This is particularly true where the shuttleis only slightlyn'iisplaced'and the cutter as a result lies behind thefront wall of theshuttle in position to receive the weft, As the transfer is revoked thesame bobbin will be active on the next pick and inasmuch as the threadhas been out the loom will be stopped by the filling fork. It is animportant object of my present invention to provide a thread cutterwhich shall be controlled by the transferrer .mechanism butnotdependentin any way for its cutting stroke upon said mechanisnnto the end thatwhen a shuttle is misplaced on the transferring beat of the loom thecutter will not close while in cuttingposition.

I-n copending application Serial #154,808 filed by I-Iook there is showna cutterwhereinthe first part of the downward movement of thetransferrer. arm releases a spring: to

operate the cutter. In my'present invention I employ the transferrer,arm to release the cutter but the actual closing ,does not occur untilthe lay nears front center, thus giving the cutter more time to receivethe thread to be cut. If transferis revoked the cutter will. close asthe shuttle feeler is raisedbut the closing will be at a slow rate andthe thread will have time to fall out of the space between the cutterblades as they move upwardly feeler. 7

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cutter on theshuttleufeeler closed about the axis of the shuttle by the lay buthaving the lay engaging part of the cutter offset from the shuttle engaging part of the feeler so that a slightly misplaced shuttle will raisethe feeler but will not engage theoifset of the cutter, thuspermittingthe cutter to rise without cutting.

With these and other objects which will a1 pear asthe description.proceeds,-1ny invenion relates to the arrangements and combinations ofparts hereinafter set forth, and more particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment'of myinvention is shown, i

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a portion of a nnilti-colorlweft replenishingmechanism as viewed'from the interior of the loom and having myinvention applied thereto,

Figs. 2, 3 and {l are detail operating views similar to a portionofFig.1 and showing the mechanism in different positions. and t Fig. 5 is ahorizontal section on line 55 of Fig. 3 but with the shuttle and layadvanced to a'position under the cutter and r with the shuttle slightlymisplaced so as to {evoke the transfer Without operating the out .er.

- Rcferiing'to the drawings I have shown a loom frame 10 on WhlCh lSmounted the stand 11'=of a weft replenishing mechanism indicatedgenerally at 12.. A stud 13 mounted on the stand 11 affords pivotalsupport for a transferrer arm 14 having a portion 15 which movesin anarcuate slot 16. Vertical slides 17' may be employed. to control therelease of thebobbins and a shuttle feeler holder 18 is pivoted as at 19to the magazine. .A rod 20connected as at 21 to the feeler holder. ex-

tends upwardly to the top shaft of'the replenishing'mechanis'm 12 andacts to depress the holder-18 just prior totransfer. A'Shllttle feeler22 is secured in the holder by means of a screw or bolt 23 and has aforwardly and downwardly inclined edge 24epositioned to be substantiallythe'same as that set forth in Patent No.1,03'0,74;8 to Ryon and theshuttle feeler supported on the holder 18. may be the same as that shownin Patent No.

1,022,108 to Ryon. It is 'suflicient for the present purposes to statethat when a transfer is about to take place the shuttle feeler 22 willbe moved downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1 tothat shown inFig. 2 and that the transferrer arm-14 will descend by connections notshown but well understood to insert a new bobbin in the shuttle. If theshuttle should be improperly placed, however,the shuttle feeler 22 willbe raised and by means of mechanism not shown but set forth in theaforesaid patents to Ryon,

the transferrer arm will be prevented from descending and will remain inthe position shown in Fig. 1.

My invention relates more particularly to -a cutter to be mounted on theshuttle feeler and while I do not wish to be limited to any particularform of cutter yet for the pur-.

posesof illustration I have shown a thread cutting device somewhatsimilar to that shown in co-pending application No. 127,695 filed byChevrette. Accordingly, in carrying out my invention I provide thebottom of the shuttle feeler with a cutting edge 40 stationary withrespect to the feeler 22 and pivot a movable cutter blade 41 on saidfeeler as at 42. A thread clamp 43 is secured to the shuttle feeler asat 44 and presses the the lay L. V

movable blade 41 against the fixed blade 40 and cooperates with themovable blade to clamp the filling extending between the selvage of thecloth and the cutter 41.

The movable blade has an arm 45 having a pin 46 which enters slot 47 inthe lower end of an upwardly extending connector 48.

Said connector is attached as at 49 to a small blade 41 and extendinginwardly toward the selvage, said arm having a rounded end 57 tocooperate with the shuttle box back 25 of 7 Under normal conditions theparts are in the position shown in Fig.1'and when a transfer is about totake place the shuttle feeler will be moved downwardly by rod 20 to theposition shown in Fig. 2. Inasmuch as the transferrer arm is up at thistime, stop 55 will be inengagement with arm 54 and as pin 46 moves downwith the feeler it will engage the bottom of slot 47 andbe held againstfurther downward movement, thus opening the cutter as shown in Fig. 2.If the shuttle be properly placed the transferrer 'arm'14will descendand the stop 55 will move away from the arm '54s o that the cutter isfree to move about'stud 42in a clockmovement while the lay L is still ashort distance from front center. As the lay continues to move toitsextreme forward position the transferrer arm 14 will continue downwardlyand the'back of the boxwill engage the inclined surface 24 of the shut--tle feeler 22 to lift the same and restore itto the normal positionshown in Fig. 1.

During this restoration pin 46 will move upwardly in slot 47 and uponreaching the top of said slot will raise arm 52 against fixed stop 53,stop 58 on the shuttle feeler holding the movable cutter to'cause pin-46to rock lever 50. At a. slightly later time inthe pick the transfer-relarm 14 will move upwardly to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 andthepin or stop 55 will engage the arm 54 to hold the parts inlth'e'positionshown in'Fig. 1.

Should the shuttle be improperly boxed, as indicated in Fig. 5, with thenose N thereof located'nearer the selvage than usual the inclinedsurface 24 will be raised before the transferrer arm 14 has time tostart its down.- ward movement and the arm 56, being ofiset from theshuttle feeler, will be out of positionwith respect to the shuttle andwill not I be moved angularly relatively to the shuttle feeler as thelatter starts to move upwardly. The cutter blade 41 will thereforeremain in the open position shown in Fig. 2 until the pin 46 reaches thetop of the slot 47 at which time the jaw 41 will be inclined at such anangle that the filling F will fall from bet-ween the cutters before theblade 41 is reset to the normal position shown in Fig. 1.[ At the timeof closing of the cutter under the conditions just described thesame'will be above the shuttle so that the'tension of the filling willtend to move the same downwardly out of thenotch defined between thecutters. Y J

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a thread cutterfor a weft replenishi'ng loom wherein'the opening of the cutter dependsupon the position of the transferrer arm and wherein the cutter isopened at the time the shuttle feeler 22 moves downwardly. It willfurther be seen that even though the shuttle feeler may engage animproperly placed shuttle the cutter will be closed not on. the firstpart of the revoking movement of the shuttle feeler as is customary, butas the revoking movement. is being completed, so that the fillingextending from the selvage to the bobbin in the shuttle will be leftintact and not cut as is the case with most cutters mounted ons'huttlefeelers.

The thread falls out of the, notch between the two cutters largelybecause of the location of the center 19, the notch between saidcuttransferrer arm, a lay, a shuttle feeler to be moved to shuttlefeeling position prior to the movement of the transferrer arm, a threadcutting mechanism mounted on the shuttle feeler, means including aconnection with the transferrer arm to open the cutter as the shuttlefeeler moves to shuttle feeling position and the transferrer arm israised, and

means operated by the lay to close the cutter positively While theshuttle feeler is in feeling position andthe transferrer arm has starteda transferring movement to break said connection.

2. In a filling thread cutter for a loom hav-' ing a lay, atransferrer'arm normally raised and in inoperative position, a shuttlefeeler normally raised and movable toward shuttle feeling position priorto transfer, a cutter mounted on the shuttle feeler and normally closed,means including a connection with the transferrer arm when the latter israised to open the cutter when the shuttle feeler moves to feelingposition, and meansto be engaged by the lay to close the cutter when theshuttle feeler is in feeling position and the transferrer arm hasstarted on a transfer movement to break said connection.

3. In a thread cutter for a loom having a lay, a transferrer armnormally inoperative,

a shuttle feeler normally inoperative but movable to shuttle feelingposition prior to the time of transfer, a thread cutter on the shuttlefeeler normally closed, connections for the cutter established when thetransferrer is inoperative to open said cutter when the shuttle feelermoves to shuttle feeling position, said connections preventing theclosing of the cutter while the shuttle feeler'is.

in shuttle feeling position if the transferrer arm remains inoperative,and means engage able by the lay to close the cutter when the shuttlefeeler is in feeling position and the transferrer arm has moved frominoperative position to disestablish said connections.

4. In filling thread cutting mechanism for a loom having a lay, transfermechanism, shuttle feeling mechanism to prevent operation of thetransfer mechanism when a shuttle is slightly misplaced, cuttermechanism mounted on the shuttle feeler normally closed and open whenthe shuttle feeler moves to shuttle feeling position, and meansoperatively connected to the cutter and offset from the shuttle feelerin the direction of the length of the shuttle to be out of the range ofa slightly misplaced shuttle, said means closing the cutter byengagement with the lay when the shuttle feeler is not engaged by amisplaced shuttle, and said means moving with the shuttle feeler withoutrelative movement with respect'thereto and out of engagement with thelay and misplaced shuttle so that the cutter remains open while theshuttle feeler starts away from shuttle feeling position when theshuttle feeler is moved by a misplaced shuttle.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

WALTER H. WAKEFIELD.

